Process for producing n-methoxy ethyl morpholine substantially free of beta,beta diaminodiethyl ether



Jan, 7, 1969 H. G. MUHLBAUERl PROCESS FOR PRODUCING N-METHOXY ETHYL.. MORPHOLINE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF BETA, BETA DIAMINODIETHYL ETHER Filed Aug. 18, 1965 BY-PRODUCTS HERBERT G MUHLBAUER,

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent O son Chemical Company, Inc., Houston, Tex., a cor-- poration of Delaware Filed Aug. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 480,702 U.S. Cl. 26o-247.7 Int. Cl. C07d 87 /32 Claims ABSTRACT on THE DlscLosURE N-methoxyethylmorpholine can be obtained as a purified by-product when morpholine is prepared by the reaction of diethylene glycol with ammonia in the presence of hydrogen by the treatment of a heart-cut by-product- N-methoxyethylmorpholine stream with ethylene oxide, following which an N-methoxyethylmorpholine product having a purity of more than 95% is obtained by distillation.

This invention relates to a method for the preparation of N-methoxyethylmorpholine. More particularly, this invention relates toan improved method for the production and purification of N-methoxyethylmorpholine from diethylene glycol and ammonia.

There is disclosed in Advani et al. U.S. Patent No. 3,151,113, a method for the production of morpholine from diethylene glycol and ammonia. As is pointed out in this patent, one of the by-products of this process is N-methoxyethylmorpholine. This material, useful as a solvent, is recovered in purified form, however, only with great difculty. I have been unable to discover a method for obtaining N-methoxyethylmorpholine from the process by `distillation in a purity of more than about 95 wt. percent. I have also discovered that this is principally due to the presence of ,diaminodiethylether as a contaminant.

I have now surprisingly discovered in accordance with the present invention, however, that N-methoxyethylmor pholine can be obtained as a puried byproduct when morpholine is prepared by the reaction of diethylene glycol with ammonia in the presence of hydrogen, as disclosed, for example, in said Advani et al. U.S. Patent No. 3,151,- 113. A feature of the present invention is the treatment of a heart-cut by-product stream, obtained in a manner to be described, with ethylene oxide, following which a N-methoxyethylmorpholine product having a purity of more than 95% is obtained by distillation. Another feature of the present invention is the use of a solvent reactive with ethylene oxide for the ethoxylation. A highly desirable feature of the present invention is the use of water or methanol as a solvent, whereby a N-methoxyethylmorpholine product having a purity of 99% or more is obtained.

Only a minor amount of solvent is necessary (eg, 1% to 10%, based on the ethoxylation reactor feed), but larger amounts may be used, if desired.

The process of the present invention may be conducted as a batch process, a continuous process or a semi-continuous process.

Patented Jan. 7, 1969 Mice As adduced from the foregoing, the method of the present invention may be defined as a method for preparing N-methoxyethylmorpholine of the formula:

said method comprising the steps of:

(A) contacting hydrogen, diethylene glycol and amrnonia with a hydrogenatio-n catalyst under liquid phase reaction conditions, including a temperature in the range from about 150 to 300 C., to provide a reaction product comprising morpholine and N-methoxyethylmorpholine.

(B) recovering a morpholine product fraction and an impure N-methoxyethylmorpholine by-product fraction from the products of said reaction,

(C) treating said by-product fraction with ethylene oxide, preferably in the presence of a minor amount of water or methanol, and

(D) recovering purified N-methoxyethylmorpholine from the ethoxylation product.

The invention will be further illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein the single gure is a schematic flow sheet illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Turning now to the drawing, there is disclosed a method for the sequential production of morpholine and N-methoxyethylmorpholine. In accordance with this showing, an aqueous solution of ammonia from a storage tank 10, hydrogen from a storage tank 12 and ldiethylene glycol from the storage tank 14 are charged through a suitable manifold 16 to a reactor 18 containing an appropriate hydrogenation catalyst such as a catalyst containing nickel, copper and .chromium oxide, as described in Advani U.S. Patent No. 3,151,113. Within the reactor 18, at least a portion of the diethylene glycol reacts with ammonia and other components of the reaction mixture present to form morpholine and by-products thereof including diglycolamine, N-methylmorpholine, N-ethylmorpholine, N- methoxyethylmorpholine, N-aminoethylmorpholine, 19,5- diaminodiethyl ether, residue components and water.

The total reactor eflluent is discharged from reactor 18 by way of a line 20 leading to a separator 22 wherein hydrogen is taken overhead by way of a line 24 for recycle.

The bottoms from separator 22 are discharged by way of a line 26 through a pressure relief valve 28 to a first distillation column 30 wherein water and ammonia are taken overhead by way of a line 32 for recycle to the storage tank 10.

The bottoms from tower 30 are taken -by way of a line .34 to a second distillation column 36 wherein the reaction product is separated into an overhead fraction 40 rich in morpholine and a bottoms fraction 3,8 containing most of the heavy by-products of the reaction, the fraction `318 comprising unreacted diethylene glycol diglycolamine and residue components. The bottoms fraction is discharged by way of a line 38 and may be discarded or further treated up in any suitable manner, such as in the manner described in Advani et al. U.S. Patent No. 3,151,113.

The overhead from tower 36 taken by way of a line 40 will contain water, N-ethylmorpholine, N-methylmorpholine, morpholine, N-methoxyethylmorpholine, diglycolcolumn, where a puried N-methoxyethylmorpholine disamine, etc. This stream is charged to a third column 42 tillate fraction 136 is obtained which will have a purity wherein a discard fraction comprising water, N-ethylin excess of 95% (e.g., 99|%). A bottoms fraction 138 morpholine and N-metlrylmorpholine is taken overhead is discarded from the column 134 as a residue. by line `44. The bottoms from tower 42 is charged by 5 The invention will be further illustrated by the `followway of a line 46 to a fourth column 48 wherein the ing speciiic examples, which are given by way of illusmaterial is separated into a light overhead fraction 50 tration and not as limitations on the scope of this inwhich is recycled to the tower 42, a heart-cut distillate vention. fraction 52 consisting essentially of morpholine which is taken as product and a bottoms fraction 54. Normally, EXAMPLE I the fraction 54 will contain less than about 50% morpho- A heart-Cut fraction 108 was obtained in the manner line. The fraction 54 will also normally Contain from described above which contained about 95 wt. percent about to about 70 wt. percent of N-methoxyethylof N-methoxyethylmorpholine, about 3.5 wt. percent of morpholine, the balance consisting primarily of diglycol- ,diaminodiethyl ether and other impurities. Representamine, ,-diaminodiethyl ether, N-aminoethylmorpho- 15 ative portions of this fraction were subjected to a scavline and other heavier compounds. en'ging ethoxylation reaction under a variety of conditions,

In accordance with the present invention, fraction 54 as set forth in Table I, with the results that are also is utilized to obtain a heart-cut fraction which is used noted in the table.

TABLE I-ETHOXYLATION OF IMPURITIES IN N-METHOXYETHYLMORPHOLINE 1 N-methoxyethylmorpholine feed, having an initial ,diaminodiethyl ether content of about 3.5 wt. percent.

2 Ethylene oxide.

as a feed stock for the purication of N-methoxyethyl- As can be seen from the table, good results were obmorpholine. tained when the ethylene oxide was used alone, in that In accordance with the present invention, the fraction there was a signicant reduction in the ,diaminodi 54 is changed to a distillation column 100, which is suitethyl ether content. No particular advantage was observed ably a vacuum distillation column, and topped to provide through the addition of an extraneous ethoxylation cata distillate fraction y102, which is suitably recycled to the alyst, such as caustic, but a signicant improvement was feed line 46 for the column 48, and a bottoms fraction 40 obtained when reactive solvents such as water and 104. Bottoms fraction 104 is charged to a distillation methanol were employed. column 106, which is also suitably a vacuum distillation column, and there separated into a distillate fraction 108 EXAMPLE II containing most of the N-methoxyethylmorpholine ini- A heart-cut fraction 108, obtained in the described tialiy present in the fraction 54, and a bottoms fraction manner, was found, on analysis, t0 have an equivalent 110, which is suitably discarded as a residue fraction. Weight of 139.5 (theoretical for N-methoxymorpholine is The fraction 108 may contain as much as 95% of N- 145.2) and a primary amine content of 0.3 meq./g. methoxyethylrnorpholine, but will also contain a minor Twenty-tive parts of methanol were mixed with 100 parts amount (e.g., 3% to 10%) of ,diaminoethyl ether. 'by weight of this product, and about 50 parts by weight In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the of ethylene oxide were added to the mixture and allowed present invention, the fraction 108 is charged to a mani- 50 to react therewith at 15 p.s.i.g. and 90 C. for a live-hour fold 112 where it is mixed with a minor amount (such period. The reaction product was then redistilled under as 2 to 10 Wt. percent of a reactive solvent (preferably the identical distillation conditions employed in obtaining methanol), which is charged to the manifold 112 from a the initial heart-cut fraction. The final distillation product suitable source, such as storage tank 114, by way of a had an equivalent Weight 0f 144-4, 1 negligible primary line 116 controlled by a valve 118. The mixture is dis- 55 amine content and a purity analysis of 99%.

charged from the manifold 112 to a reactor 120 by way Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is: of a line 122. A scavenging amount of ethylene oxide 1. In a method which comprises the steps of contacting (e.g., 2 to 20 wt. percent, based on the fraction 108) is hydrogen, diethylene glycol and ammonia with a hydroalso charged to reactor 120 by charge line y124. It will genation catalyst under liquid phase reaction conditions be understood that it is not obsolutely necessary to use to provide fa reaction product containing morpholine, N- a solvent, but it has been discovered in accordance with methoxyethylmorpholine and ,diaminodiethylether, the present invention that the best results are obtained the improvement which comprises recovering an N-mewhen a minor amount of an ethylene oxide reactive solthoxyethylmorpholine fraction containing ,diaminodi vent such as methanol or water is employed during the ethylether from said reaction product, contacting said N- ethoxylation step. The ethoxylation is conducted under methoxyethylmorpholine fraction with ethylene oxide to conventional ethoxylation conditions known to those ethoxylate said ,diaminodiethylether and distilling said skilled in the art, such as a temperature of about 50 thus treated N-methoxyethylmorpholine fraction to obtain to about 150 C. and a pressure of about 0 to about 100 art N-methoxyethylmorpholine product having an N- p.s.i.g. methoxyethylmorpholine content of more than 95 Wt.

The ethoxylation product is `discharged from reactor percent.

120 'by a line 126 leading to 4a distillation column 128 2. A method as in cl-aim 1 wherein the ethoxylation such as a vacuum distillation column, where the product is conducted in the presence of about 1 to 10` wt. percent, is topped to provide a distillate fraction 130, and a botbased on said N-methoxyethylmorpholine fraction, of a toms fraction 132 which is, in turn, changed to a suitable solvent selected from the class consisting of methanol distillation column 134, such as vacuum distillation and water.

3. A method as in claim 2 wherein the solvent is methanol. y

4. A method as in claim 2 wherein the solvent is water. 5. In a process as in claim 1 wherein the process is continuous, the improvement which comprises:

separating said N-methoxyethylmorpholine fraction into a heart-cut fraction containing up to about 95% of N-methoxyethylmorpholine, v contacting said heart-cut fraction with 1 to 10 wt. percent of methanol and from about 2 to about 10 wt. percent of ethylene oxide under liquid phase ethoxylation conditions including a temperature within the range of 50 to 150 C. to provide an ethoxylation reaction product, and

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/ 1964 Advani et al 260-247 NICHOLAS S. RIZZO, Primary Examiner.

10 J. TOVAR, Assistant Examiner. 

